It was nice to escape into the wilds of Norfolk again today - it seems so long since I have been out - its been a mentally exhausting few weeks - father has now been discharged home thank goodness, but its so terribly sad to see him walking with a frame and so slowly - hopefully he will be using one stick eventually.
Choseley Barns and Titchwell RSPB
A disgusting morning to go out in - but I HAD to go - its been my first opportunity to go out/birding for ages. I was in full rain clothes before I even stepped out of the house!
Arrived Choseley Barns mid-morning after driving through some serious flooding on route and sat in the car watching Corn Buntings, Yellow Hammers, greenfinches, chaffinches, hedge Sparrows and 2 blackbirds all feeding on the concrete area.
Titchwell RSPB - The rain was so bad I left everything else in the car and just simply took my bins. Didn't really see very much, but just lovely to be out - usual birds at the feeders: greenfinches, chaffinches, robins, blue tits, great tits, pheasants etc etc. I started to count Shelduck, got to 30+.... there was more, but the rain was so bad I couldn't be bothered to continue counting! 2 Avocets were skimming the water close by the main bank and 3 Goldeneye (one drake) were a nice surprise in the tidal marsh along with 6 Little Grebes all ducking and diving. On reaching the seawatching platform I turned right (east) and walked to the creek where I saw 3 ringed plovers and 2 Grey Plovers standing motionless and looking pretty fed-up. 6 Carrion Crows were standing about around the tide line beyond the creek. Tons of waders on the shoreline in the pouring rain but couldn't really focus on anything much. On the return walk along the main bank, the goldeneyes had disappeared from view. I passed very few people walking along the bank in these dire weather conditions!!! Ordered a cheese and onion pastie from the Feeding Station and ate it in the car with my flask of coffee and checked on my parents on route back to Lynn before doing a shift this afternoon.
Can't update my blog on my Applemac - only by my Apple iphone, so can't add any pictures, or access Facebook, or open photoshop or access iTunes - going to start a HELP thread in the computer's section of BF I think!!!
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Traumatic last few weeks!!!
Since I last posted my father fell indoors and broke his hip the day after my Mother's 70th birthday and on my sister Lucy's birthday on 10th February. Typing this on iPhone in break at work. Will continue later when I return home. Still can"t access my blog on Applemac!!!!!
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Simon King Wildlife Diaries - review
I was fixed to the screen at dead on 8pm to watch my husband, sorry I mean - yep you've guessed SIMON KING!!!
Simon, his wife Marguerite and cute little daughter Savannah spend a year living on Shetland in a remote cottage, accessible only at low tide, filming wildlife and experiencing life in these stunning islands. The whole content of the 'diary' was interesting, entertaining, compelling and spellbinding, the list goes on...... watching the interaction between Simon and his little daughter and the obvious close relationship he has with his wife (also a photographer and film maker) was beautiful. His words 'who needs a television when you have a beach' when pottering about amongst rock pools with Savannah discovering the wonders of nature were so simply true. Watching Simon and Marguerite's fieldcraft to get unbelievably close to otters to film was fascinating. Simon also abseiled down 600ft cliffs on Noss to place cameras above gannets nesting ledges for the following spring which looked pretty scary and they only just got back up the cliffs again and onto the boat to mainland as semi light plunged to darkness!!! Simon was alerted by one of the local's of an Arctic Tern in distress and he went to investigate and found that the tern had a broken wing and phoned the local RSPB's to see if anything could be done - he was advised to put the bird out of its pain and misery as it would never survive/migrate with one wing etc - his obvious compassion and sadness at having to do this bought a tear to my eye. The highlight of the programme for me though was watching Simon film Orcas close in by the shore - something I am dearly hoping to see when I go Fair Isle this spring/summer. Simon ended the show with dressing up as Kate Humble (he still looked sexy!) to take part in the Shetland's Festival 'Up Helly Aa'.
I thought the whole programme was absolutely fantastic - ten out of ten and a million times better than Springwatch - don't ever want to see a rutting deer again on TV!!!
Can't wait for next week's episode - maybe he goes to Fair Isle too!!!! - I very much hope so.
Simon is still much better in the flesh - his talks at the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland are always incredibly entertaining, informative and hilarious. He has an incredibly funny sense of humour which is rarely seen on TV, but ALWAYS has people rolling with laughter to the point of crying when he tells his stories. He is one of the most genuine human beings I have ever met - he will always give people loads of time when he meets them and will chat away and listen as if he has all the time in the world, even though there is a queue of 100+ waiting to see him! Roll on Birdfair! Plus I get my yearly picture/hug and signature on photocard!!!!!!!!
Simon, his wife Marguerite and cute little daughter Savannah spend a year living on Shetland in a remote cottage, accessible only at low tide, filming wildlife and experiencing life in these stunning islands. The whole content of the 'diary' was interesting, entertaining, compelling and spellbinding, the list goes on...... watching the interaction between Simon and his little daughter and the obvious close relationship he has with his wife (also a photographer and film maker) was beautiful. His words 'who needs a television when you have a beach' when pottering about amongst rock pools with Savannah discovering the wonders of nature were so simply true. Watching Simon and Marguerite's fieldcraft to get unbelievably close to otters to film was fascinating. Simon also abseiled down 600ft cliffs on Noss to place cameras above gannets nesting ledges for the following spring which looked pretty scary and they only just got back up the cliffs again and onto the boat to mainland as semi light plunged to darkness!!! Simon was alerted by one of the local's of an Arctic Tern in distress and he went to investigate and found that the tern had a broken wing and phoned the local RSPB's to see if anything could be done - he was advised to put the bird out of its pain and misery as it would never survive/migrate with one wing etc - his obvious compassion and sadness at having to do this bought a tear to my eye. The highlight of the programme for me though was watching Simon film Orcas close in by the shore - something I am dearly hoping to see when I go Fair Isle this spring/summer. Simon ended the show with dressing up as Kate Humble (he still looked sexy!) to take part in the Shetland's Festival 'Up Helly Aa'.
I thought the whole programme was absolutely fantastic - ten out of ten and a million times better than Springwatch - don't ever want to see a rutting deer again on TV!!!
Can't wait for next week's episode - maybe he goes to Fair Isle too!!!! - I very much hope so.
Simon is still much better in the flesh - his talks at the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland are always incredibly entertaining, informative and hilarious. He has an incredibly funny sense of humour which is rarely seen on TV, but ALWAYS has people rolling with laughter to the point of crying when he tells his stories. He is one of the most genuine human beings I have ever met - he will always give people loads of time when he meets them and will chat away and listen as if he has all the time in the world, even though there is a queue of 100+ waiting to see him! Roll on Birdfair! Plus I get my yearly picture/hug and signature on photocard!!!!!!!!
Back on line again!!!!!!
After hours of hard work Kris has got my computer back to me and fully working again (hurrahhhh!!!!!) apart from still trying to solve my wireless connection (still currently hardwired into mac with wires running across living room and hallway) - but who cares about a few wires temporarily when you have you computer back! Even though I LOVE my new Apple iphone passionality its fabulous to be back typing on a normal full size keyboard! - now I can fly away at the keys at my normal lightning speed! I still have lots of things to sort though - have to copy all my files/photos from a massive folder on my desktop back onto hard drive and now NEED to copy all my photographs onto DVD's so I don't have a major heart attack should this mac go down again! Also can now learn how to use the ipod on phone for the first time and copy some CD's onto it - so exciting, can't wait - yes I know pretty sad but I am a gadget queen - I LOVE it. Apart from an extremely aggravating, hacky, tickly cough I am feeling loads better after my recent illness so everything looking rosie at the moment. Oh and also need to add my snow bunting pictures to my my blog etc.
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